Vest Financial LLC Increases Stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG)

Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE:IPG - Free Report) by 31.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,205,662 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 289,014 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.32% of Interpublic Group of Companies worth $33,783,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of IPG. AMF Tjanstepension AB raised its position in shares of Interpublic Group of Companies by 70.3% in the 3rd quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 253,172 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $8,008,000 after purchasing an additional 104,514 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 6.4% in the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 76,511 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,420,000 after buying an additional 4,589 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 31.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 3,713 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $117,000 after buying an additional 886 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Interpublic Group of Companies by 54.0% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 15,522 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 5,441 shares during the period. Finally, Hudson Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Interpublic Group of Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $209,000. 98.43% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on IPG. Barclays upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $32.00 to $39.00 in a report on Monday, January 27th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Interpublic Group of Companies in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. They issued a "hold" rating on the stock. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $38.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Interpublic Group of Companies from an "underweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $26.00 to $34.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Interpublic Group of Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $33.75.

Interpublic Group of Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IPG traded down $0.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $26.79. 7,017,893 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,951,173. The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $26.30 and a twelve month high of $35.17. The firm has a market cap of $9.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.64 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.09, a current ratio of 1.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $28.44 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $29.92.

Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE:IPG - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.04). Interpublic Group of Companies had a net margin of 7.44% and a return on equity of 27.76%. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. will post 2.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Interpublic Group of Companies declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, February 12th that allows the company to buyback $155.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the business services provider to buy up to 1.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Interpublic Group of Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.93%. Interpublic Group of Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 62.26%.

Interpublic Group of Companies Company Profile

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc provides advertising and marketing services worldwide. It operates in three segments: Media, Data & Engagement Solutions, Integrated Advertising & Creativity Led Solutions, and Specialized Communications & Experiential Solutions. The Media, Data & Engagement Solutions segment provides media and communications services, digital services and products, advertising and marketing technology, e-commerce services, data management and analytics, strategic consulting, and digital brand experience under the IPG Mediabrands, UM, Initiative, Kinesso, Acxiom, Huge, MRM, and R/GA brand names.